Marc Rosenblum, deputy director of MPI's U.S. Immigration Policy Program, testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for a hearing examining the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States and proposals to bring in future workers via legal channels.

The recently created White House Task Force on New Americans is charged with submitting a National Integration Plan to President Obama by March 20, 2015, offering recommendations for federal actions to further immigrant integration. Proposals made to the Task Force by MPI's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy and others to support immigrants' linguistic, economic, and civic integration are collected here.

In 2013 the Houston metro area was home to 1.4 million immigrants—with the nearly 60 percent growth in its immigrant population since 2000 nearly twice the national rate. This report provides an overview of the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of Houston's immigrants, along with their naturalization rates, legal status, and potential eligibility for immigration benefits such as citizenship or deferred action programs.

Want the latest estimates and characteristics of unauthorized immigrants in the United States, including their potential eligibility for deferred action? Use this innovative data tool to get population estimates and much more—including countries of origin, recency of arrival, educational enrollment and attainment, industries of employment, incomes, parental and marital status, and English proficiency—for unauthorized immigrants at the national level, by state, and for top counties. Click here to get started.

As many as 5.2 million unauthorized immigrants who are parents of U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, as well as many brought to the United States as children, could gain relief under new and expanded deferred action programs announced in November 2014. For U.S. and state breakdowns on populations potentially eligible for relief from deportation, click here.

Even as deportation of criminals has risen steadily, immigration crimes are the largest category of criminal removals, representing 18 percent of the 1.5 million criminal removals that occurred between fiscal 2003-13. This report analyzes the 3.7 million formal removals that occurred during the period, offering a profile of deportees and changing trends. It also outlines how possible scenarios for executive action could affect the number of deportations.

An estimated 41.3 million immigrants lived in the United States in 2013, about 13 percent of the total U.S. population, constituting the world's largest foreign-born population. This Spotlight from MPI's Jie Zong and Jeanne Batalova offers the most current and sought-after data on immigrants in the United States—including origin, educational attainment, the unauthorized, deportations, and more—in one easy-to-use resource.

MPI has compiled in one easy-to-access location its key research and data resources on issues, policies, enforcement programs, and more that relate to the immigration reform debate underway in Washington.

Illegal immigration's overall impact on the U.S. economy is negligible, despite clear benefits for employers and unauthorized immigrants and slightly depressed wages for low-skilled native workers, according to UCSD Professor of Economics Gordon Hanson.

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Illegal immigration's overall impact on the U.S. economy is negligible, despite clear benefits for employers and unauthorized immigrants and slightly depressed wages for low-skilled native workers, according to UCSD Professor of Economics Gordon Hanson.

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Recent Activity

The United States has historically offered unparalleled economic opportunity to successive generations of immigrants and their children, poised to play an increasing role in the U.S. economy. But the lasting impact of job loss and slower growth over the next decade will translate into fewer opportunities for workers—and immigrants may prove the most vulnerable.

While aspects of the U.S. immigration system facilitate newcomers’ contributions to economic growth and competitiveness, others undermine them. Reforms are needed to enhance the job-creating power of U.S. employers and strengthen the system’s ability to select effectively from the large pool of foreign workers.

Since 1970, the immigrant populations from Mexico and Central America living in the United States have increased significantly: rising by a factor of 20 even as the total U.S. immigrant population increased four-fold over the period. This demographic report examines the age, educational, and workforce characteristics of these immigrants.

Immigration is a prominent part of the United States’ DNA, despite concerns about immigrants’ ability to integrate. An examination of recent immigrant inflows shows newcomers to the United States are integrating well, based on language proficiency, socioeconomic attainment, political participation, residential locale, and social interaction indicators.

The conference offered law and policy analysis and discussion on cutting-edge immigration issues. Featured panelists included high-ranking government officials, academics, advocates, and other immigration experts.

Doris Meissner, Director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at MPI, offers her knowledge and expertise regarding border security in this testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

This discussion focuses on the MPI report, "Executive Action on Immigration: Six Ways to Make the System Work Better," which outlines administrative actions that can be implemented to improve the immigration system.

About the Program

The U.S. Immigration Policy Program analyzes U.S. policies and their impacts, as well as the complex demographic, economic, political, foreign policy, and other forces that shape immigration to the United States. The program also offers influential thought leadership and policy recommendations regarding ways to improve the U.S. immigration system.

In the Spotlight

U.S., State, & County Profiles of Unauthorized Immigrants

Want the latest estimates and characteristics of unauthorized immigrants in the United States, including those potentially eligible for relief from deportation? Use this innovative data tool to get population estimates and much more—including countries of origin, recency of arrival, educational enrollment and attainment, industries of employment, incomes, English proficiency, and health care coverage—at the national level, by state, and for top counties.

With the question of birthright citizenship back in the news, it is a timely moment to review this MPI policy brief, The Demographic Impacts of Repealing Birthright Citizenship. The brief finds that repeal of birthright citizenship for U.S.-born children of unauthorized immigrants would significantly increase the size of the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States, from 11 million today to 16 million by 2050.

Each month, MPI authors review major legislative, judicial, and executive action on U.S. immigration at the local, state, and federal levels. This month's article focuses on state access to federal immigration data.

Resources

Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's FutureIn 2006, the Task Force articulated a vision that promotes U.S. global competitiveness in the context of post-9/11 security imperatives, while tackling many of the technical details that have made immigration such an intractable public policy topic.

Media Resources

Experts

Doris Meissner, former Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, directs MPI's U.S. immigration policy work.
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Demetrios G. Papademetriou is Co-Founder of MPI and President of Migration Policy Institute Europe.
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